Washington Police Chief Fired Over Porn, Harassment

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CONNELL, Wash. (CBS Seattle) – Connell Police Chief Michael Kessler was fired for allegedly viewing pornography on a city-issued cellphone and sexually harassing several women, among other charges, according to the Tri-City Herald

Mayor Gary Walton called the former chief’s conduct a “black eye” on the city, in a statement printed in the paper.

“These actions constitute incompetency, inefficiency and inattention to duties,” Walton wrote in Kessler’s termination letter. He showed a “willful failure to maintain proper conduct” and is “unsuitable and unfit to employed by the city as police chief.”

The city accused Kessler of sexually harassing two women and making suggestive comments to a third, watching pornography on a city-issued cell phone, and failing to conduct performance reviews and keep his staff up to date on training.

Kessler’s cellphone and city-issued computer recently were taken by a private investigator and information was extracted, city officials told the Tri-City Herald. They declined to comment about what information was taken.

Walton, who also serves as the acting city administrator, will lead the police department until a new chief is hired, he said. He hopes to begin interviewing candidates next week.